[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Day Two

Morning: It took a sunlit morning of toil before a breakthrough came, and Notts added nearly 80 runs to their overnight total in the meantime. Calvin Harrison holed out to Josh Baker as he tried to pile on the misery after completing a half-century, and that opening quickly allowed Brett D'Oliveira to take another wicket, removing Liam Patterson-White LBW. Dolly continued to influence the game even in the field, producing a direct hit on the stumps to run out Luke Fletcher, and with the session extended by half an hour, Adam Finch successfully denied the hosts their fourth batting point as Lyndon James was removed for 96, leaving Notts all out for 399.

Afternoon: The new ball claimed the early casualties of Gareth Roderick and Jake Libby, and despite a healthy rebuild from there that lasted most of the session, Kashif Ali went for an incredibly ill-advised one-day swipe that spooned the ball up and saw him caught for 40, leaving the Pears 90-3 at tea.

Evening: A much-needed half-century from Rob Jones aided the cause tremendously through a gusty teatime, but neither he nor partner Adam Hose were entirely judicious in their shots, and the latter perished for 33 to as silly a stroke as his predecessor at the crease, lofting up an easily-caught top edge. Jones then departed on 90, Jason Holder edged to slip for a silver duck, and on 186-6 the Pears were teetering on a precipice. Dolly and Nathan Smith shepherded us to stumps on 220-6, trailing by 179 and 30 short of beating the follow-on, requiring some hard work on Sunday.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Day Three

Morning: To their boundless credit, the Pears came out on Sunday morning with every intention of making amends for Saturday's iffy batting, and Brett D'Oliveira brought up his first fifty of the campaign before departing for 54. Josh Baker made a cameo of just 8 before being caught and bowled, and at 279-8 the hosts would have had every expectation of batting again soon with a three-figure lead in hand, but they reckoned without Nathan Smith and Joe Leach occupying the crease stubbornly until lunch, knocking off an extra fifty runs en route to 331-8. With 111 scored for the loss of just two wickets, it was the first session in the match that Worcestershire could indisputably claim.

Afternoon: A fantastic half-century from Smudge came to an end on 58 with a pull that he couldn't quite get on top of, but one more bonus point was our reward for the day's resilience before Adam Finch was bowled round his legs for 3, leaving the Pears 355 all out, trailing by 44. There would, however, be no joy with the new ball in the second half of the session as Notts made it to tea without loss, 59-0 with the lead at 103.

Evening: For an hour and more after tea, it seemed the most thankless of tasks; the Kookaburra was turning slowly to sponge, the hosts were scoring briskly but without any discernable intention of taking risks to set a quick target, and even the dismissal of Haseeb Hameed for 40 by Baker only seemed a consolation on the long road to an inevitable draw. Yet suddenly, in one of those incredible reversals that make cricket such a joy, the last hour turned everything upside down. In a single over, Smudge first had Ben Duckett caught at square leg for 63, then two deliveries later saw Joe Clarke inside-edge a ball past the stumps and into the left glove of Gareth Roderick (whose reflex spring to the side was more grasshopper than cricket) for a silver duck, before the final ball of the over completed a triple-wicket maiden when it thudded into the pad of Matt Montgomery for a bronze duck. In his very next over, the Kiwi set up a potential hat-trick when he clattered the stumps of Jack Haynes for 1, and though there were to be no further scalps for him, the collapse proved contagious; Baker got in on the act as he coaxed Ben Slater into clipping one straight to short leg for 23, and Finchy saw off Calvin Harrison with a full ball nipping in which the tail-ender left, only to see it cartwheel his off-stump for 3. 151-7 at close with a lead of 195, it was emphatically Worcestershire's day, and the Pears have managed to set up a blockbuster final day if only the weather will co-operate.

[themaclad]

And the weather didn't

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Day Four

Morning: The weather, alas, did not co-operate.

Afternoon: No play possible due to rain. Match abandoned.

Match DRAWN

The Verdict: For the second weekend in a row the rain foils Worcestershire just as we get on top, but once again, 27 points from Edgbaston and Trent Bridge - enough to leave us temporarily top of the Championship - is more than most of us dared hope for at this stage. The key will be to carry the momentum forward to our first "home" match of the campaign versus Durham at Kidderminster next week, when Dukes balls will make a result far more likely; until then, we'll have the memory of Worcestershire Rejects crumbling before the bowlers they forgot to poach to warm the cockles of our heart.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

County Championship, Division One

vs Durham

Chester Road, Kidderminster

Day One

Morning: Durham won a delayed toss and elected to bat on a windy Friday morning with the sun trying its hardest, between showers, to warm the hardy and enthusiastic crowd who gathered for Worcestershire's first Kidderminster outing since July 2019. They were rewarded in the first over with a Joe Leach classic, zipping past the attempted block of Scott Borthwick to clatter off-stump for a duck, before Nathan Smith bowling over the wicket to the left-handed Alex Lees drew an edge that was gratefully snaffled at second slip for 6. But the visitors steadied the ship and navigated their way to lunch on 89-2, claiming the session in the process.

Afternoon: The Pears needed an answer, and got it immediately upon the resumption with Jason Holder tempting the dangerous David Bedingham into a cut, only for the batsman to chop onto the stumps for 38. That success was soon followed by the removal of Colin Ackermann LBW for 47 by Joe Leach - a potentially iffy decision with the delivery angling well down leg, but one Worcs can claim was owing after having a far stronger shout against Bedingham turned down before lunch - and with fresh batsmen at the crease, the breakthrough quickly became a collapse. Holder struck again to see off Graham Clark LBW for 5, and with his first ball of the afternoon Adam Finch saw off Bas de Leede almost identically for 3; Holder then had Paul Coughlin caught at second slip for 1, and after an aggressive half-century, Ollie Robinson (no, the other one) was caught behind for 55 off Matthew Waite. Tea came with the visitors 230-8; probably Worcestershire's session on balance, but with plenty of consolation for Durham who'd been 141-7 an hour earlier.

Evening: Again, Worcestershire began the session needing inspiration, and it was provided by Adam Finch with two wickets in three balls to remove Ben Raine caught behind for 43 and Callum Parkinson LBW for a duck, leaving Durham 244 all out. The wagging of the tail had raised hopes among the Pears faithful that the pitch might not be as tricky as we all feared, even prompting talk that the wicket was a 300 par, but the next two hours proved a slog for the hosts, who lost Gareth Roderick for 2 off the fourth delivery of the innings, then Brett D'Oliveira to a godawful last-ditch attempted leave that resulted in a bottom-edge onto the stumps for an eleven-ball duck. Just when it looked like the third-wicket partnership might see us through, Rob Jones went LBW for 32, and Adam Hose followed him back to the pavilion for just 5 after chopping on. Bad light came to the rescue just before seven o'clock as the Pears closed on 78-4, needing big things from Jake Libby and the middle order on the morrow.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Day Two

Morning: A half-century from Jake Libby alongside early hitting from Jason Holder in the Saturday sunshine raised tentative hopes, but when the West Indian was bowled for 18 by Ben Raine, he was immediately followed back to the pavilion by Matthew Waite for a duck. Libby went for 61 when his stumps were rearranged on a leave, and the subsidence continued with Josh Baker bowled via a deflection off his helmet from a Bas de Leede bouncer, and Joe Leach caught at midwicket. The last wicket stand counter-attacked, but only enough to lift the Pears up to 184 all out, trailing by 60 at lunch.

Afternoon: Early breakthroughs for Nathan Smith having Alex Lees caught at second slip, and Joe Leach removing Colin Ackermann caught behind for 18, but once David Bedingham played himself in there was only going to be one result, and the Pears thus went in for tea staring at a scoreboard that read 92-2, already trailing by 152.

Evening: There was plenty of time for the Durham lead to grow as the boundaries flowed through the sunlit evening, though Worcestershire struck back with a run-out of Scott Borthwick and Adam Finch having Paul Coughlin caught behind, before centurion Bedingham was caught in the deep on 138 off Nathan Smith. That was to be the last breakthrough, however, as the visitors piled on the misery and reached 319-5 at close, leading by 379. There's talk that the heavy roller may have flattened the pitch, but short of Worcestershire being saved by the same freak weather events that spared Warks and Notts over the last fortnight, it's hard to see any outcome to this match other than the obvious one.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Day Three

Morning: Declaring without further loss on 397-5, Durham set Worcestershire a stiff 458 to win, and Gareth Roderick and Brett D'Oliveira were early casualties in the chase before lunch was taken on 49-2.

Afternoon: A second half-century of the match for Jake Libby before departing, and the seventh-wicket stand of Nathan Smith and Matthew Waite held up the Durham victory charge until tea was taken on 202-6.

Evening: A fifty apiece for Waite and Smudge en route to a new best seventh-wicket partnership for the Pears versus Durham, but it couldn't last the distance as Worcestershire fell a handful of overs short of seeing out the day.

Worcestershire LOSE by one hundred and eighty-five runs

The Verdict: Comfortably (if not comprehensively) outperformed in all departments, the weekend's defeat was amply summed up by Worcestershire's inability to see out the overs that might have saved the game, with Monday being a drizzly washout. Moments to be rued include the failure to polish Durham off quickly at 141-7, conceding an extra 100+ runs in the process, then losing wickets to some dozy batting on the first evening that put us behind the game. The elephant in the room is Durham's second innings, in which Bedingham (and others) demonstrated that there were runs to be scored on the pitch if a batsman could get himself in, but ultimately the Pears couldn't produce anything like that quality at the crease. Of course, the opposition are allowed to play well, and Durham may well be bound for a higher finish this season than many would expect, but nevertheless, after a heartening first fortnight back in Division One for the Pears, this weekend was a reminder of what life at the top table can look like if you're not at the races every minute of every session. Improvement needed quickly.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

County Championship, Division One

vs Somerset

Chester Road, Kidderminster

Day One

Morning: The Pears won the toss and put Somerset in to bat on a bitterly cold spring day on the southern fringes of the Black Country. Perhaps the cloud cover and wind were germane to the decision, but it seemed an iffy choice during the first session as Sean Dickson was the only casualty of the new ball, given LBW for 16 to Matthew Waite, and though Ben Gibbon struck in the run-up to the interval to claim his first scalp of the season - Matt Renshaw caught at first slip for 30 off a full delivery from the left-armer that cramped his defence and kissed the edge - Somerset had the better of the session as they reached lunch on 87-2.

Afternoon: A careless drive at a Joe Leach outswinger saw Tom Lammonby caught at second slip for 34, which helped keep Worcestershire on the coattails of the visitors, but most of the afternoon remained a slog for the Pears bowlers. Another interval was almost upon us by the time Jason Holder popped a can of spinach, ate his Weetabix and washed it all down with Carling Black Label; his first victim was Andy Umeed, closing in on a half-century, whose outside edge was clipped by a fast outswinger that curved wickedly and flew to the keeper. The West Indian then had James Rew caught behind for 3 with a full delivery angled across him, and wrapped up the session with a searing yorker that thudded into the front pad of Lewis Gregory, seeing the Somerset skipper off leg-before for 1. 181-6 at tea, there was every reason for Worcs to believe it was even stevens for the first time in hours.

Evening: A lackadaisical defensive from Kasey Aldridge that allowed Waite to strike his front pad and remove him LBW for 9 kept the visitors on the ropes, and with just eight overs to go until the second new ball, the Pears seemed to have the door wide open. But for the second week in a row, an aggressive tail undid so much of the good work the bowlers had done; scoring at above seven an over, the freewheelin' Migael Pretorius got the scoreboard whirring with Tom Banton until Joe Leach had him caught at slip for 49, and even then, Somerset reached a second batting point in relative comfort. It took a direct hit on the stumps by Brett D'Oliveira to run out Tom Banton on 92, and though the visitors padded up Shoaib Bashir to see out a solitary maiden over, they then decided (belatedly and somewhat bizarrely) that 309-9 was the total they'd declare on, giving Worcestershire a five-over examination before close of play. This apparently impromptu gamble didn't pay off as the Pears reached stumps on 14-0, bringing to an end a mixed bag of a first day that probably finished just about even.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Day Two

Morning: No play possible due to rain.

Afternoon: Resuming on 14-0 after an early lunch, Adam Finch managed to find the boundary before departing LBW to Jake Ball for 17. Jake Libby survived an early scare as he was dropped at third slip, and had to play watchfully against the threatening Ball, but was able to bring up his half-century under louring skies over the course of the session as the Pears went in to tea - and, as it transpired, finished the day - on 107-1.

Evening: No play possible due to bad light.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Day Three

Morning: A delayed resumption at noon didn't faze either of the Pears openers as they racked up a 150 partnership, with Gareth Roderick making his fifty through some excellent strokeplay with minimal scares, and Jake Libby forging ahead during a wicketless session that reached lunch on 185-1.

Afternoon: It wasn't to be for Libby, who made 97 before being bowled through the gate by a Shoaib Bashir off-break, but Rodders anchored the innings superbly as the rest of the Pears top order came and went in aggressive cameos, completing his first century of the season - the ninth first-class ton of his career - in time for tea on 312-5, now leading by 3.

Evening: The sun showed its face for the first time all match on a lovely Sunday evening which Worcestershire were free to spend playing shots for fun. Rodders finally departed for 122 after hitting Bashir for a glorious straight six, trying to wallop Jake Ball down the ground only to pick out mid-off, but Jason Holder was able to smash the ball clean out of the ground onto the railway line during his cameo for 12, and even after Matthew Waite went for 5 the tail continued to wag. Brett D'Oliveira and Joe Leach brought up a fourth batting point while denying Somerset their full bowling bonus during a highly enjoyable ninth-wicket partnership, and the skipper completed his fifty before being caught behind at half past six. Declaring then on 451-9 with a first-innings lead of 142, the slight air of melancholy underpinning proceedings - a sense that once again, a strong Worcestershire showing is going to go unrewarded thanks to the final-day weather - was lifted a little when Holder had Sean Dickson caught behind for a duck in the penultimate over of the day. 5-1 at close, trailing by 137, it would take something astonishing on Monday morning to turn this impending draw into a win, but the momentum is all with the Pears.